Steve Jobs is set up in three “acts,” centering on the moments prior to Jobs taking the stage to launch: the first Macintosh (in 1984), the Jobs’ post-Apple venture Next (in 1988) and lastly, the first iMac (in 1998).

Each of these events is punctuated by Jobs’ interactions with those who were closest to him, namely:

former girlfriend and mother of his first child, Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston)

Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) , a member of the original Mac team, and

his first child, daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs (played by Perla Haney-Jardine, Ripley Sobo, and Makenzie Moss, respectively at different ages).

It is in these expository moments (woven with the present and past) that we are offered a revealing insight into the inner workings of a man whose personal life and interpersonal relations seemed at odds with the control he exerted in his professional endeavors.

I find it interesting that, although the film is loosely adapted by Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network) from Walter Isaacson’s 2011 authorized biography of the same name (with additional information culled from interviews conducted by Sorkin himself), the film reaches its end in 1998, over a decade before Jobs’ passing. As you watch the film come to a close, you realize that this is not needed – the film has told you the story it wanted to effectively.

Initially I was not entirely sold on Michael Fassbender as Jobs (there I said it). When I saw the early trailers, all I could think was “hey, that’s Michael Fassbender.” Maybe it had something to do with not thinking Fassbender and Jobs shared any likeness, in either face or voice. But as I sat watching his performance, all those reservations floated away out of my head. I was taken in so much so that at one point during one of these “acts,” it took everything in my power not to get up and applaud what I had just seen on screen.

As (semi) regular readers to this site can attest, Kate Winslet can do no wrong in my book (not even in The Holiday). As Joanna Hoffman, Jobs’ right-hand-woman, she delivers another solid performance. And the same can be said for all of the ensemble – they all deserve a round of applause for their work.

The performances would (obviously) be nothing without the words. Sorkin’s trademark voice is clearly present, but it is not at all intrusive. Because of the way the story is told, Sorkin has structured Steve Jobs very similar to a play. In spite of this, in its execution, it does not feel stage-y. It’s an accomplishment to be sure and a wonder to observe.

Earlier, I used the term “artful” for a reason. As anyone familiar with the work of Danny Boyle knows, that while the stories and emotions surrounding his films are all too real and grounded, there are often moments during his films that enter a fantastical realm. And, as in other examples of his oeuvre show, these “escapes” in Steve Jobs do not take you out of the story, in fact, this approach kept me engaged.

As I wrap this up, let me just say that my praise for the film does come without a ‘warning’ – if you are expecting a straightforward recounting of Jobs’ life, you will not find it here. That said, I am willing to wager that in Steve Jobs, you will find no better telling of Steve Jobs’ life and times that captures the spirit of a complicated and complex man, who did in fact, change the world.

Steve Jobs comes out Friday in select theaters with wider release a couple of weeks later.

Often referred to as the father of modern computing/artificial intelligence, the film shifts between:

The “far past” of Turing’s school days at Sherborne School and the close friendship he formed with Christopher Morcom;

The “recent past” – the real meat of the story – with Turing and Team Bletchley racing against the clock (and each other) to crack the “un-cracklable” German Enigma code;

And finally the “present past” – where detective (played by Rory Kinnear) investigates an alleged robbery at Turing’s home, only to discover more than he expected during the course of the investigation.

The world Turing operated in (professional and personal) was heavily reliant on cover-ups and secrecy. And even while most of the action centered on him, many of the supporting characters had their own burdens to bear, some self-imposed, some thrust upon them by others.

Now I love a good spy movie and have been particularly intrigued by this period in British military intelligence I think, ever since I saw another cinematic account of events in the Michael Apted-directed and Tom Stoppard-written early 2000’s feature Enigma starring Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet. As a result, I am naturally biased to like this one. Not that I want to compare, because there really is no comparison.

The Imitation Game, despite all of the meta-stuff going on (meta, like as in the war), still manages to tell a personal and insular story about the triumph and ultimate tragedy of a man who crumbled under the weight of society’s inability to deal with the truth of who he was.

There are many things working to the film’s credit, least of which are the performances. From the top down everyone delivers. Also kudos to Keira Knightley (as Joan Clarke) who continues to impress me with each new performance I see her in.

Although this is a serious, intense thriller, it is not without its share of good humor, mostly delivered through the interaction between Cumberbatch, Charles Dance and Mark Strong. For the audience, I feel like this breaks some of the tension and also nods to the social awkwardness that Turing had with his contemporaries.

While I am sure that many of the events of the film bear a resemblance to what actually took place, the film does almost too neat a job of making much of the “spy game” fall into place; I can get past this because the film covers so much territory in a reasonable amount of time, clocking in at just under the two hours.

The film also manages to cover the headier ideas of the film – including but not limited to Turing’s work that would be the foundations for what is now known as artificial intelligence – in a way accessible to as wide an audience as possible.

Lastly as I mentioned earlier on, the story does play with time a bit. For me this non-linear structure works quite well and kept me engaged with the story, which for the most part I kind of knew while still feeling invested in witnessing the outcome.

In the end, The Imitation Game is a tight, well-performed WWII spy story that is also an interesting study of a man who is ahead of his time and who suffers at the hands of a judgmental society.

The Imitation Game is directed by Morten Tyldum, with an adapted screenplay by Graham Moore (based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges); it is now playing in select theaters.

First things first — massive apologies for the absence as of late (save some intermittent tweeting). Truth be told, I have been in the final stages of moving house (still kinda sorta am) and it took a lot more time and energy out of me than I had anticipated. Alas, I am a little more settled now and can get back to the business at hand.

And what I time I chose to return. As you may be well aware, we are entering the “serious season” for cinema-goers (i.e. Awards Contenders Season) and the film festivals of this month and next have a lot on offer.

While I did not have the pleasure of attending the likes of Telluride or Toronto (I’ll throw Venice in there for good measure), I did follow some of the titles that were featured and here are some that I thought may be well worth a look-see. Click on the hyperlink to find out a little more about the titles:

The Imitation Gamedir. Morten Tyldum. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as brilliant Cambridge mathematician, cryptanalyst and pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing, who spearheaded the Enigma code-breaking operation during World War II and was later persecuted by the British government for his homosexuality.

Mr. Turner – dir. Mike Leigh. Timothy Spall won the Best Actor prize at Cannes for his magnificent performance as J.M.W. Turner, in Mike Leigh’s gorgeously rendered biopic of the famed British landscape painter.

Two Days, One Night – dir. Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne. A working-class mother (Marion Cotillard) fights to hold onto her job, in the new film from master filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.

Beyond the Lights– dir Gina Prince-Bythewood. A rising young musician (Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle) falls into a passionate love affair with the cop assigned to protect her (Nate Parker), in this moving and inspirational romance from writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball).

Before We Go – dir. Chris Evans. Chris Evans makes his directorial debut with this winning romance about two strangers (Evans and Alice Eve, Star Trek: Into Darkness) who spend a long, magical night in NYC after missing the last train at Grand Central Terminal.

Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet – dir Joann Sfar, Tomm Moore, Bill Plympton. Director Roger Allers (The Lion King) assembled an array of internationally acclaimed animators to realize episodes from the classic text by the renowned Lebanese poet, which are woven into the tale of a mischievous young girl (voiced by Beasts of the Southern Wild’s Quvenzhané Wallis) who attempts to free an imprisoned poet (Liam Neeson).

Kill Me Three Times – dir Kriv Stenders. A small Australian town becomes a hotbed of scheming, scamming, blackmail and murder in this blackly comic, sun-scorched neo-noir, featuring a sterling cast that includes Simon Pegg, Alice Braga and Luke Hemsworth.

The Riot Club – dir. Lone Scherfig. Two young men are inducted into the exclusive, debaucherous company of Oxford’s elite “Riot Club,” in this scathing dissection of the British class system from Danish director Lone Scherfig (An Education).

Girlhood– dir. Céline Sciamma, Céline Sciamma. Céline Sciamma Céline Sciamma (Water Lilies, Tomboy) returns to the Festival with this raw, raucous but tender look at a group of black high school students living in the tough banlieues of Paris.

I mean there are dozens more, put that would make this post a programming guide and I am sure no one has time for that, so …

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Also on my radar (and also in the Greater New York Area) is the first annual Mount Vernon (NY) Film Festival (starts 9.25). Quite near and dear (it’s my hometown, y’all), I hope to have something up concerning this, although my current schedule will mean that I cannot actually attend any of the events.

Lastly, I am looking forward to Lincoln Center’s 52nd annual New York Film Festival (starts 9.26). A preview post will be up sometime this week.

In the meantime, what films are you looking forward to seeing from the festival circuit?